Temple Tourists

Leaving Jordan behind we boarded the ferry with Angus and Jamie across the sparkling Red Sea to Nuweiba in Egypt.  We had a leisurely crossing which left 3 hours late! but the sea was so clear and the day so sunny we had a relaxing day of it. 

There was more relaxation to come as we arrived and made our way to Dahab, and then to Sharm el Sheikh in pursuit of some beach time.  After the snorkelling and relaxed backpacker life in Dahab it was difficult to head south to Sharm but we compensated with some more rigorous paperback reading and swimming. 



However before long we were back on the early morning routine, starting with a walk up Mt Sinai.  The thing everyone does if you're a tourist (or a pilgrim) is to leave the base at midnight, walking up and waiting for the sunrise.  We decided to leave at 5am primarily to catch some more sleep, which meant we would catch sunrise enroute and get up there an hour or two after dawn.  It turned out to be a great move - not only did we miss sitting around freezing up top for an hour or so, but as hundreds of walkers passed us on their way back down, we arrived at the top completely alone and spent half an hour at the summit taking photos and reflecting on the early morning views. 



Leaving Sharm we intended to fly direct to Luxor to start our temple spotting.  However Egypt Air had other plans - requiring a detour to Cairo for 4 hours which was just in time to watch the entire Royal Wedding celebrations from start to finish in the airport cafe.  Perfect timing, and we all got to see the dress.   Finally arriving in Luxor we headed up to our guest house's rooftop restaurant only to see Luxor Temple in the near distance which was exciting - and even better later that evening when we were able to visit up close with it all lit up. 

Luxor is temple central so each day we were up bright and early (again!) to see the incredible tombs in the Valley of the Kings (no photos allowed), as well as more temples including Deir-el Bahri, Ramesses III, Karnak and Edfu.  The scale of the temples was amazing and as we trooped around in the blazing sun we were pinching ourselves at their size, the intricacy of the carvings and the feeling of being in an open air museum.

Leaving Luxor we headed south via the crocodile temple to Aswan, a sleepier town where we spent our final few days in a guest house on the quiet side of the Nile.  We spent some enjoyable afternoons on a felucca (and even doing a spot of fishing!) as well as a quick trip south to see Abu Simbel which was awesome.  It was a great way to wind down a fantastic trip from Amman in Jordan to Aswan and very difficult to head back to work!

M

Halycon Days of Hummus

For Easter and the Royal Wedding weekend we attempted a double-header; an overland trip from Jordan into Egypt with Angus and Jamie.  We started in Amman and headed first to undertake some serious relaxation and detox in the Dead Sea.  Shaun wasted no time starting the floatation experience early, whereas I was keener to try out some of the local detoxing mud first,which is served up in big buckets on the seashore... 

The Dead Sea is on the Israeli/Jordanian border, with Israel tantalisingly close.  Just nearby are a number of important Biblical sites, one of which was Bethany-on-the-Jordan where Jesus is said to have been baptised by John the Baptist.  On site there are a number of small shrines built over the top of prior ruins and it is a very quiet and reflective place. 

I was expecting Petra to feel very touristy and crowded but having got up very early in the morning we were able to enjoy the walk through the siq towards the Treasury - the first main 'sight' of Petra - completely by ourselves.  It was an eerie feeling and Petra itself was amazing. 

Leaving Petra we headed further south for an overnight stop in the desert at Wadi Rum where Shaun very quickly got into the local flavour of things with the help of our local guide and driver.  I think this was possibly the largest head that had tried to wear the tea towel look successfully but with a bit of customisation an Arabian warrior was born.

M&S

Booking some down time in Prague

After a relatively slow start to the year trip-wise but a big start work-wise we headed off for a weekend break to Prague, home of a castle, a famous bridge and some famous beer. Happily, March is still off season in Prague so hotel prices were well down and we managed to strike it lucky with some spring weather to enjoy the city.

First stop was the famous Charles Bridge. We went back about 4 different times at different times of day - all beautiful.

We also made sure we visited Prague Castle and the famous Alfons Mucha stained glass window in St Vitus cathedral. The cathedral is beautiful (nice clean lined Gothic cathedral compared with my less favoured over the top (usually Catholic) Baroque versions) and also houses the remains of St Wenceslas (after the Christmas carol) who was bludgeoned to death by his brother. It seems it was not just the frost that was cru-el. I'll never sing it the same way again!

Some of Mucha's famous illustrations below (I have always loved these) ... and then his stained glass window - which weirdly reminded me a lot of hobbits and.. whatever Viggo Mortenson was.

Shaun was very keen to try some Czech food at a local beer hall and the plate that emerged was so huge it even prompted one (fairly large) passerby to comment "Now that's a big meal".  All in a day's work for a Kirby.

Ramping up the tourist angle on our last afternoon we joined a tour which took us on a tram ride out to a former Cold war bunker - parts of which seem to be used as an alternative club in the evenings but other parts of which are preserved as a museum complete with a wall of gas masks and other military stuff. Dressing up was positively encouraged and we took full advantage.

M

Peeking around the Peak District

Having arrived back in London after the excitement of the wedding and honeymoon we expected to feel a bit flat. And true to form, the weather was cold, grey and January was starting to feel like a very long month. So, armed with the very generous gift Shaun's parents had given us for the wedding we decided to head north to Stoke on Trent to buy a dinner set and while we were at it, do a tiny bit of exploring in the Peak District.

Home for the weekend was a tiny little stone cottage inside the Peak District National Park, with the lowest ceilings I've ever seen (challenging) but with a nice log burner and a separate gas fire which made things toasty - in stark contrast to the chill air outside. Shaun found the kitchen ceilings the most challenging of all - even I had to duck which makes you wonder how those growth hormones have affected the human race over the last few centuries...

There was just enough time to go for a little explore into the hills - nice and muddy and a little bit of clambering involved but good to get outside into the brisk air and make a (token) start on some training for a bigger walk we're hoping to get done later this summer.

M

Kicking back in the sun...

Following the arduous! week on safari it was time to kick back and relax.  First on the beautiful Pongwe beach on Zanzibar for a few days...

and then back off to the Tanzanian mainland via a flight on the tiniest plane imaginable to spend our last 4 days at idllyic Ras Kutani. 

Ras Kutani is a bit more rustic than Zanzibar but our hilltop suite was beautiful, with monkeys playing in the trees every evening and with enough active water activities to do to keep us occupied during the day in between lazing around with a series of books and the odd cocktail or two. 

M&S 

Super Safari

For the first week of our honeymoon we spent an amazing few days on safari in Tanzania. After a marathon flight in from New Zealand, and a day or two recovering in Arusha we were rested, revived and keen to hit the bush. Our first adventure was with our guide Freddy, to the Ngorogoro Crater via Lake Manyara National Park.

(Freddy and Michaela testing out the roof canopy on the Landcruiser.)

Lake Manyara was great - full of elephants, baboons and birds and with a hippo pool in its centre featuring a great host of different animals resting in the mud and the summer breeze.

Next stop it was on to the crater - a vast expanse stretching out towards the horizon on all sides, with an incredible variety and concentration of animals on the crater floor.

The next morning we were up bright and early to investigate what the crater had in store. We weren't disappointed - zebras, lions and a rare black rhino were all on hand together with more baboons and numerous gazelle.

Leaving the crater we woke on Christmas morning for an unforgettable Christmas Day - a drive out to our remote mobile tented camp (which moves to follow the wildebeest migration), featuring a strange mix of luxury and roughing it on the edge of the Serengeti Plains. Our tent was wonderful - even with a flushing toilet!, hot water brought for showers on demand and a daybed at the front of the tent with an uninterrupted view of the plains stretching out as far as the eye could see.

That evening Alex, the owner, surprised everyone with a special Christmas Day feast with dancing by warriors from the local village and a whole roasted calf killed earlier that afternoon.

The next morning we woke up to find the wildebeest had come in on the plains and we could see herds of them stretching for miles into the distance.

In total we spent 3 days at the camp, going on game drives to see the wildebeest and stalking the prey that were stalking them.

What a fantastic place and a great way to start married life.

M & S